For over a quarter of a century, email marketing has become an essential strategy for businesses. Do you sell products or services? Know that building customer loyalty with email is the best way to establish a lasting relationship. Nothing is more effective than landing directly in your customers’ inbox. You still need to master this marketing tool for your email to be read.
But what exactly are we talking about when we mention email marketing?
Today, email marketing represents 333.2 billion emails sent every day worldwide . An impressive figure that nevertheless masks a darker reality: email seems to have more and more difficulty capturing the attention of readers. This is why the average opening rate of newsletters and emails is falling. For example, e-commerce newsletters that had a relatively positive opening rate have seen it drop to less than 16%. And if you are unfortunate enough to be considered a spammer , unsubscribe requests will multiply and your email marketing campaign will sink into obscurity.
For all these reasons, it is essential to master the best practices of an email campaign and produce quality content. In addition, the advent of AI is a new key element to tame. We are entering a new era that particularly impacts the field of email marketing.
Once again, history repeats itself and the new pioneers who master this growing technology experience exceptional lightning successes.
In the following lines, we will reveal the 17 best practices of our web marketing agency to send quality emails, dominate your market and go from click to conversion .
We will also reveal to you how email marketing can integrate artificial intelligence to improve the performance of your campaigns and, above all, allow you to jump on the bandwagon.
What is email marketing?
What is email marketing?
What exactly is email marketing? By definition, email marketing is a business strategy for prospecting and retention.
This strategy, also called emailing , is often linked to sending newsletters. However, it encompasses all practices around electronic messaging.
It is not just about communicating, but about establishing a dialogue, a resonance between a brand and its different targets.
Email campaigns, the ally of marketing personalization
One of the added values of email is the ability to establish a privileged relationship with your audience through well-written texts and striking visuals. The friendliness of the tone as well as the frequency of sending can make it a very personal medium .
As a fundamental channel of relationship marketing, email takes into account the customer’s point of view. Its content is formulated according to the needs, preferences and priorities of the reader. Where traditional advertising broadcasts a generic message, email adapts to the profile of its reader, recognizing their uniqueness, needs and desires.
What does the anti-spam law say in Canada?
In Canada, as in the rest of the world, various Canadian anti-spam laws have been adopted to protect Internet users from unwanted emails. Now, the Anti-Spam Act (CASL) has been in force since 2014.
Spam, junk mail or junk email is “unsolicited” messages.
Therefore, it is prohibited to purchase an email database and send newsletters without the consent of Internet users.
The aim of this law is in particular to discourage:
- emails with false (or misleading) representations,
- collection of information not accepted,
- installation of programs without consent, etc.
If a company violates this anti-spam law, it faces fines of up to $25,000 per violation.
That said, spamming is still a practice that is still going on. Just check your junk mail folder to see it.
Newsletter: definition
But what is a newsletter? The newsletter, not to be confused with email, is a communication tool, normally intended for subscribers that allows them to share information that is if possible relevant on a regular basis.
An effective newsletter campaign offers easily measurable results and guarantees an attractive return on investment.
So that you know how to create a newsletter with a good opening and conversion rate, let’s discover the 17 keys from our web marketing agency that have made our email campaigns successful.
The visual of your email marketing campaign
1. Creating an effective newsletter means having an eye-catching design
With so many emails being sent and an average click-through rate of 2.01%, you need to stand out from the crowd. And that starts with creating an impactful design.
Your email visual should showcase your business, with a clear call to action appearing above the fold.
Think of your newsletter design a bit like designing a website or landing page.
You need to catch your readers’ eye and this is done by:
- attractive colors,
- shapes that attract attention,
- different sizes of texts,
- pictures,
- animations,
- calls to action scattered throughout your newsletter.
Make sure the content is displayed clearly and entices users to engage with your content .
In this respect, the Sephora company is a real case study.
With a sexy, dynamic and modern design, it seduces your gaze and attracts your attention through irresistible calls to action. Its barely concealed goal is to live an adventure with you that will end at the end of its conversion journey, until the big final YES, where you confirm your purchase.
The design here is way too simplistic. The combination of different fonts is awkward, the calls to action are not optimized, and the text format is not right.
Be careful, however, not to go to the opposite extreme, with visuals in all directions that will make messaging service bots think that you are a spammer.
2. Video, an effective newsletter tool
Digital content creation is a cornerstone of the prospect/customer maturation process. However, in this area, the creation of video and/or audio content is a trend that should not be overlooked. This is the point of contact and validation that will subsequently allow a newsletter to make an impression by intensifying the dynamism and emotions conveyed.
It is therefore essential to think of your email marketing strategy as an extension of your content creation efforts.
Additionally, according to a Syndacast study , using the word “video” in the subject line increases the open rate by 19% , the click rate by 65%, and decreases the unsubscribe rate by 26%.
3. A mobile-optimized email marketing campaign
Over 81% of emails are opened on the phone, hence the importance of responsive design.
Otherwise, your click-through rate could drop by 15%.
Source: Superoffice.com “The Science behind email open rates”
Like a website, responsive web design is the process by which you ensure that the display of the email automatically adapts to the screen resolution of the device on which it is opened. For example, the message does not display the same way on a tablet and on a smartphone.
In the illustration below , WeCook gives us a great example of a responsive newsletter that adapts perfectly to the screen and whose text is easily visible without any zoom. Even on a phone, the calls to action as well as the essential information are clearly readable.
Define your target for an effective email marketing campaign
4. Personalized marketing email
72% of consumers say “poor” personalization decreases their trust in brands.
As you will have understood, personalization in marketing is essential so that the reader feels that this email is intended exclusively for him.
In addition to delicately handling the familiarity of the informal “tu” or the distance of the formal “vous”, it will be necessary to ensure that one’s first and/or last name are strategically inserted in each correspondence.
This marketing personalization will be all the more impactful if it is done in the subject of the email.
Via the Mailchimp newsletter creation tool , you will be able to add Merge Tags directly linked to your database to personalize the names of each recipient.
5. Take care with the subject of the email
The subject line should not be sloppy when creating an email marketing campaign . Many experts also advise avoiding subject lines that are 60 to 70 characters long.
In this graph developed by Adestra, we can see by observing the green line that the length of the subject of an email influences the opening rate .
The most important thing in any Internet marketing strategy is to generate interest in the audience. You need to make users want to open your email.
The first words are the most important, so think carefully about them.
Feel free to add promotions
However, if your subject line turns out to be a decoy, it’s guaranteed to frustrate the reader. Frustration that prompts them to mark you as spam.
So be consistent and stay away from SPAM by personalizing your emails. This will also allow you to boost your email opening rate by around 20% to 30%.
“ You can ruin communication with too much or too little logic, but you can’t have good communication without emotion. Logic is not enough. ” Seth Godin
Besides, capital letters don’t have that much impact
Please: let’s stop using capital letters in newsletter subjects that sound like desperate cries: “LOOK AT ME, BUY ME!”
Generally perceived as an aggression by readers, they could end up directly in the dark side of spam.
Finally, one last simple tip: think about using emoticons to increase your opening rate.
Take a look in your inbox: emojis are eye-catching. But don’t overdo it, or you’ll go from trendy to obsolete.
Finally, let’s move on to the exception that proves the rule. If you’re as famous as Barack Obama , a simple subject line like “Hey” might be enough.
6. Don’t forget pre-header
The latter here to the right of the object (here in gray) is used to support the object.
It must provide important information. If not, do not use it.
7. Think: Conversion Funnel
The most common mistake is to automatically place an email call to action that redirects the reader, by default, to the home page.
Always remember that your main goal is to optimize your conversion funnel.
If your newsletter is about a specific product, why not redirect the reader directly to that page? You can even create a landing page specifically designed for readers of that newsletter.
8. Use a segmented database for personalized email
It is essential that your contact lists are segmented based on user interests. For example, if a user purchased sneakers from a particular brand on your site, it would be preferable for this user to receive information about similar products first .
This increases the relevance of your emails so that the customer is more likely to revisit your site to make other purchases. Cookies are excellent allies for deciphering the interests of your visitors.
For example, I showed an interest in used bikes, here is the newsletter I received the next day:
Let’s say you’re a clothing company. By structuring your database, you can, for example, create a “Bag Buyer” mailing list. It’s then easier to personalize the newsletter for contacts associated with this list by indicating, for example, that they could accompany their bag with a pair of shoes.
9. Short but effective content
With more and more people checking their emails on their mobile devices, it is essential to send short and effective messages . In addition, users have short attention spans.
As with a message sent as part of a Facebook Messenger marketing strategy, it is important that users understand your messages almost instantly. Your newsletter must be of interest to the reader, otherwise they will block you mercilessly!
The company WelcomeToTheJungle offers a weekly informative newsletter with an editorial.
By providing enriching information, it captivates readers who enjoy browsing it. The idea here is not to shout “COME TO OUR SITE!!!”. But rather: “I give you information and I let you appreciate it and do what you want with it”.
It is only later, almost implicitly, that the passage to their website is revealed via a call to action.
Creating informative content may not be right for your business. The key takeaway is that creating relevant content is critical.
Your email must provide value to the reader, otherwise it will be redirected to the trash or worse…
“ Great content is the world’s greatest sales tool. ” Marcus Sheridan
10. Include promotions in your email
If your goal is to increase your website sales through your email marketing campaigns , focus on exclusive promotions. A promotion in your newsletter such as: “Get 50% off before the end of the month!” could significantly boost your site traffic.
The promotion sent only by newsletter is an effective hook that encourages the prospect to create an account on your online store website to take advantage of this seemingly exclusive offer.
Why are my emails ending up in spam?
Between 55 and 95% of emails sent are SPAM (junk mail). To avoid falling into the abyss of spam, there are a few little tips.
12. No daily email marketing campaign
Don’t be too intrusive: the reader will feel attacked.
Let’s analyze this very bad example from the Dynamite company. Subscribers of this company receive emails every day. On top of that, the content is almost identical. There is no added value for the reader. Sending newsletters at a frantic pace deafens readers with a repetitive refrain and increases your chances of ending up in SPAM (Spam).
Additionally, you will quickly realize that creating quality, unique content is a long and complex process.
13. The list of words to avoid in your email marketing
To deal with the scourge of spam, email management tools are constantly implementing new protocols.
Therefore, certain words should be banned.
For example, the words “Mastercard”, “Visa”, “Invoice” are often considered SPAM.
Same rate for newsletters in capital letters.
The blogdumoderateur platform provides you with a summary table of words to ban from your email campaigns. You obviously can’t avoid using all this vocabulary. However, make sure to clean up your email of most of these radioactive terms!
14. Do A/B testing
A/B testing or Split Testing allows you to test variations of the same email in real time.
Simply set up multiple email marketing campaigns and analyze the feedback from each version of the email sent. This way, you can test the impact of even subtle changes, such as call-to-action positioning, text size, etc.
Be careful not to forget to test the sending days as well as the sending times of your emails.
You can also install trackers in your emails. Especially on your calls to action, to analyze which trackers are clicked the most, and which ones canada email list are likely to be deleted.
15. Analyze the results of your email marketing campaigns
Test, analyze and repeat.
You should always look at the returns from your email campaigns and then optimize them. There are a few performance indicators to consider.
Email deliverability rate quantifies the number of emails actually received. It should be above 95% otherwise you are probably facing a technical problem.
Open rate is a telltale indicator of the health of your email marketing strategy.
This approach will help you adjust your email the rise of artificial intelligence in phones marketing campaigns to get closer to your goals and create a lasting relationship with your audience.
Nothing works better than an automated email marketing campaign.
16. Email Automation
This practice involves automatically sending an cz lists email to users who have performed a specific action on your website. For example, it is possible to send an automatic email to everyone who has subscribed to your newsletter. This saves valuable time and avoids sending emails manually.
What’s more, automation can be taken even further. Why settle for a generic email when you can add that human touch? A customer’s birthday is a great opportunity to send a personalized message with a promotion. Or remind a customer that they still have an item in their cart and that it’s now on sale.
17. Loyalty strategies
Don’t hesitate to send an additional email offering articles that might interest your users. For example, if you noticed that some users particularly clicked on your article on SEO strategy for digital marketing agencies in your last newsletter, contact them again to offer them new content on this subject.
Various platforms offer to automate and create optimized newsletter campaigns. However, the most well-known and practical tool remains Mailchimp . This platform allows you to connect your databases and facilitates the direct sending of newsletters with various customization options. In addition to this, the tool offers various templates to make quality newsletter campaigns very quickly.
Artificial intelligence and hyper-personalization in marketing
Prospecting and the entire sales process revolve around one fundamental element: capturing the customer’s attention . Companies must therefore remain relevant in their speeches while facing the increasingly high demands of consumers.
In this hyper-competitive context where every commercial action must surprise your audience, reassure your employees and your partners. It is not always easy to keep up.
So you need an effective, automatable and easy-to-implement solution to boost your advertising campaigns and improve your conversion rate.
And this is where AI is revolutionizing the microcosm of email marketing campaigns.
Chat GPT, Bard and their friends open the door to a world of hyper-personalized marketing.
Here, we are no longer talking about simply entering the customer’s first and last name, but about crazy personalization.
Personalized marketing: always going further to ensure the success of your campaign
If you are still not convinced by this revolution in email marketing personalization, let’s take it to the next level with a new example, Deepfake.
Through this new type of marketing personalization, we send a direct email containing a video of a member of your team whose voice and face have been previously cloned by AI.
All you have to do then is generate a video with variables such as the name of the person targeted and ask the AI to generate thousands of videos in which the lips synchronize perfectly to pronounce at key moments the first name of the recipient of the video or any other variables.
And if you don’t want to clone your own voice and face, you can just use the actors’ ones that usually come with this type of solution.
Here is an example of a relatively affordable solution from someone cloning their own voice and image.
Here you can see some examples of people who have cloned their voice and image. It is not as perfect as with pre-programmed actors. However, the technology is evolving at an impressive speed.
According to some sources, this type of message would record a click rate up to 16 times higher than that of ordinary content and a personalized video has a 35% greater chance of retaining the consumer .
Now all you need to do is find the right platform for your business.
(Correct incorporation of names, functional dynamic variables, quality of the visual, smooth connection to Mailchimp, Zapier and others…).
Ensure technical performance to avoid creating thousands of unusable videos.
Prices vary widely across various AI video generation platforms, ranging from $15 to $300.
Often these platforms have a demo version, so don’t hesitate to test them out.
Here are some of them: BHuman.ai; HeyGen; D-ID; Synthesia AI; Hyperis; Sendspark; Idomoo …
For the more expert among you, there are also free open source versions.
Personalized video by deepfake: impact your emails at scale
Cloning is just the preliminary step towards customizing your video content. In addition to the many existing features to incorporate decorative elements, you can enrich your visual with text, special effects, personalized sounds, etc.
Like any emerging new technology that has not yet been massively mainstreamed, it is full of promising potential.
Creative minds and innovative web agencies will find a new playground here, in a world of freedom where everything is possible to stand out.
A world where your message can be carried by an animated character, an imaginary creature, Charlie Chaplin or even the Mona Lisa.
Anything is possible, the depths of Artificial Intelligence in marketing are infinite and full of surprises that are as surprising as they are frightening.
The examples of AI-powered email marketing personalization discussed in this article represent just the tip of the iceberg of emerging opportunities in the email marketing space.
Use email marketing best practices to turn it into a powerful tool in your acquisition strategy
To create effective email marketing campaigns, don’t hesitate to follow these 17 best practices and dive into the opportunities that AI offers.
If you would like to learn more about best practices in web marketing, subscribe to our newsletter today.
Do not hesitate to contact our web agency in Montreal at 514 572 7758 or via our contact form if you wish to speak to an advisor who will answer all your questions. Our web marketing specialists will be able to guide you in your email marketing strategy.
